absolute best stair tool thread

[ACpower1]

whats your all time favorite stair tool?

small hand tool style?

40in S bend with 2 jets?

40in straight?

one with a closed spray?

just power thru it with the big wand?

360?


So far we have used.... a hand detail tool with closed spray, the wand of course, the 360 with 13in head, 360 with stupid stair head, and a S bend 2 jet from Joe which we use now.

everything is getting easier and so now we are trying to make the hardest things in our business easier. Stairs are the first thing that comes to mind.

do any of you guys use a straight stair tool? or a swivel head stair tool?

[milspec6]

I am a hands and knees guy when it comes to stairs. For me, scrub with cyclo polisher and aqua brushes followed by an old butler stair tool.

It isn't fun, but that is why I charge a lot more per step. It would be hard to convince a customer watching me (let's face it, they all do) that it costs more for stairs if I can just wave a wand at it from a distance.

[Fuzzsucker]

Joes 2inch tube 2 jet stair tool is by far the best ive found. My assistant is a bit shorter than me and can use it without being hunched over. The two inch tube makes the move from wand to stair tool fast and easy. The mouth width is the same as the old prochem ones. Which I feel has the best of both worlds; speed and good edging ability. A perfect rise and run cleaning on a set is 5_10 minutes tops. I only wish it was maybe 4_5 inches longer so I didn't have to bend over but I'm 6'3 so im used to it

[The Spot Doc]

CRB easily cleans the tread & bull nose, followed up with the Cyclo on the risers and Groom with Hand Tool.
SOE my 1st step and Choice product!

[CleanTech]

if really really brutal ill hit it with my cyclo

of the stair tools ive had a chance of using I fell back in love with my prochem 30" after I modded it with joe's goodies.
Put a slot glide on, check valves and doubled the flow!

I think I would like to try a 40" version.

[ACpower1]

nice, I think a 40in straight will be our next one. does anyone use a swivel? or is that kind of a gimmick?

[Cjcann]

I use a swivel every day. Vacuum the steps if necessary, pre spray and brush it in. Then I swivel the head to clean the risers on the way up. At the top I swivel the head in to normal position clean the in step and bullnose on the way down. I re-dry the steps after cleaning with a duck foot plastic drying tool. I would never go back to a fixed head for steps. We charge $5-$8 per step depending on length. Most cleaners do not charge enough for steps. It's a lot of work, and your bent over crouching, on your knees. Charge more and do more.

[Pro Touch]

Eldiabloz, I don't know what a "duck foot drying tool" is. Do you have a picture or more info? Sounds interesting.
I'll try that technique of risers on the way up and tread on the way down.
Have you ever had any problems with the swivel?
Thanks.

[Cjcann]

quack quack, here they are. Industry slang circa 1985, Vac nozzle or tool, sorry.

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colored-nozzles (1).jpg (4 Kb) Downloaded 129 times

[Cjcann]

No problems with the swivel, original hose and valve from 2003. Here is a pic of the open spray model. I have the closed spray model, recommend it. Don't relish spraying the walls when cleaning steps.

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STAIR TOOL.jpg (61 Kb) Downloaded 137 times

[Pro Touch]

Thanks for the info. I have a duck foot and didn't even know it.  Nice to know the swivel holds up.

[OneBlueSummer]

Never used a true stair tool .. i just use an inclosed upholstery tool from Joe.. my noisy cricket.. i have one hand on the vac and solution line and the other on the trigger and I fly through stairs! That way I get agitation too. .. i don't understand how u could clean standing up with a glide as stairs always need some scrubbing as far as I can tell.

[dp1]

I have a couple 40" s bend 1.5", 30" s bend 1.5" and a 2" prochem style, all 2 jets, I don't like my prochem style 2 jets, the other ones are daily used, the 2" hose is too big for stair wand in my opinion, and too much suction from my blower.
I'm eager to ask about how glided stair wand work on stairs since there will be uncleanable gaps at the edges, is it just spray from a distance kinda thing and vacuum with the hose directly for the edges ? Seems like too much time wasted for a small convenience ?

[Pat]

I have used the swivel stair tool and I never liked it. I bought the longer prochem version many years ago. It only has one jet but it works well for me. Sometimes I need to use my upholstery tool to get in the corners better.

I think it is best to try different versions to find out which one is best for you.

[ODIN]

I have the 2 jet 100 dollar stair tool from Joe it has a medium long barrel works great no glide is needed.

[Joe Bristor]

" I have a duck foot and didn't even know it.  " LOL

Stairtools are like wand cuffs... it's a personal thing.
What we need is a stairtools Floater, a box full of different ones, let a guy spend a month trying them all out.
Then throw them all back in the box and send it on. Doesn't sound very productive I know but I hate hearing every cleaner talk about the stairtool he bought - and hates.


A Floater where you gotta keep your comments to yourselves too cuz like the PMF swivel tool, it was all the rage cuz the last guy said so.
For some it really is. For others it was a mistake.

FWIW that Host machine is the best I ever found for stairs, followed by a good vacuuming. So HOST and good encap juice, a Duck Foot and a HD shop vac are tops.
Interesting, none of this requires a stairtool as we know it. And I got a whole shed of em. Just ask Olson.

[procarpet]

I like to take the handle off the 15 in strongdry, scrub east west, north south then follow that with a 5 inch castex upholstery tool with a 3 flow.  I have a pmf one jet and hydramaster 1 jet and hate both of them one is small and weak and the other is heavy and streaks.  When I'm done the stairs are clean and the pile is restored, beats the heck out of hand brushing.  Told Joe this story, growing up in this business we used to have 100 psi portables.  Of course less psi means more agitation required so we carried a thoromatic 15 in scrubber on every truck.  To scrub stairs we would put the scrubber handle in the upright position and bear hug the tank full of water and grab the trigger to scrub the stairs.  So you have me at 12 or so bear hugging this machine that weighs as much or more than me trying not to fall back down the stairs.  I'm sure it was a sight to see.  Anyways, Joe sure got a kick out of visualizing that

[milspec6]

I haven't tried the crb on stairs yet like that, but it sounds like it is working well for you and others. I might be missing out on a good method?

Thanks for the tip and visual...that couldn't have been fun.

[ACpower1]

I like our stair tool we have Joe, it was a huge upgrade over the wand or upholstery tool we were using.

The main reason for this post is ours doesnt have a glide and with the tnt its like wrestling a bear cleaning stairs also at the same time I think one that is about 10in longer will keep us from bending over as much.

3 things on our list now

- longer straight stair tool with a glide
- a smaller back up wand for those really crowded homes with too much furniture where the 14in is a little big
- electric vac hose reel

[Cjcann]

I think the key to the swivel stair tool is the closed spray head. Love mine, cuts cleaning time in half and is easier to clean risers. Unless of course you enjoy scrubbing on your hands and knees- which I do not.

[Joe Bristor]

I make a checkvalve kit for the PMF swivel head.

Be careful thinking you want a longer stairtool.
Up to 40 is pushing it.
Too many guys say they can't fit them into tight spots over 40.
Even 30"ers are too long for some guys.
Again, it's a personal thing.
Mine stop at ~36"
I make VT12 shorties for the tight 'crowded homes, office cubicles etc.
Bob Foster may have one he'll sell you cheap.

[milspec6]

Maybe the best stair tool is the tech, so you don't have to do them or hire a midget so there isn't any hunching over?  

Being almost 6' 4", every tool causes me to hunch over, which is why I go for the hands-knees route.

[Joe Bristor]

procarpet is hereby The Beast.
Who hugs a 175 for scrubbing stairs - at 12 years old?

[procarpet]

Regardless of what tool you use for cleaning stairs the important part is CLEANING them. It amazes me what passes for a cleaning job on stairs. Just today I cleaned a guys stairs that were filthy and brown around the edges. I asked him if he tried to clean his own stairs and he said yes with a frown on his face. I told him not to feel bad, even though he obviously left them too wet he still out cleaned half the guys that call themselves pros. Stairs make or break a job, they are the last thing people see when they leave their upstairs and first thing the see. I like a large upholstery tool myself, but will use a stair wand if the stairs aren't bad or if I'm busting out a vacant apartment. They closer you are to the dirt the more likely you are to remove it.

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